Rising expectations after our historic season should us just fine, says Dungannon Swifts wing wizard Thomas Maguire

The men from County Tyrone sealed their first ever top-six finish since the formation of the league split, before going on to win their first ever Irish Cup against Cliftonville back in May.

The reward for that triumph is a return to European competition for the first time since 2007-08, where they take on Liechtenstein-based FC Vaduz.

Due to the nature of Dungannon's eye-catching season, there is set to be heightened expectations for 2025-26 - something which Maguire says he and his team-mates will embrace.

"I think right across the board every man has that expectation on themselves first and foremost,” the former Cliftonville ace said.

"So, obviously we've done extraordinarily well last season in terms of winning the Irish Cup and finishing fourth in the league.

"But I think every man in the squad will be looking to better that next season and then obviously that will just filter right through.

"There will be expectations from the manager, the coaches, the fans, the board.

“So yeah, there is a rising expectation there and I think that just filters right throughout the club.

"We'll be looking to try and kick on and better our season next year. I think why not?

"Obviously we've done extremely well but, as I say, there’s no reason why we can't go on and win trophies again next season.”

Maguire, who made the move to Stangmore Park from Larne in the summer of 2023, has his own personal goals of gaining more game time next season.

His chances have arguably improved with the high-profile departure of attacker John McGovern to League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers.

The 25-year-old has tipped his former team-mate to be a smash hit south of the border as he has to wait until July 1 to make his bow for Stephen Bradley’s side.

He stated: “We did exceptionally well last season as a team and the team changed pretty frequently and personally I was in and out.

"So next season for me it's just trying to cement my starting 11 spot and kick on from there and help the team in any way I can.

"John did exceptionally well last season and he fully deserved his move. So yeah, it's a character that's not going to be about any more but I'm pretty confident that we'll be able to step up to the task of not having John and hopefully we'll be able to kick on from last season.

“I think his move is inspirational for all the players on the team. There might be clubs from elsewhere looking at Dungannon and getting their eyes open to this is Dungannon Swifts, they mean business.

“So they might pinpoint players who are obviously doing well for us and who do deserve a move because like I said, John did extremely well last year and I think he deserved a move.”

Dungannon face Linfield in next week’s Charity Shield final before travelling to Vaduz – who play in the second tier of Swiss football despite being from Liechenstein.

Maguire knows the importance of keeping the tie alive for the second leg, which will be played at Cliftonville’s home ground of Solitude.

"As players I think we had some conversations about potential opponents and kind of pinpointed a couple of teams that we could think of, 'we have a chance here', and Vaduz were one of those teams,” he continued.

“So I think for me, we're on the right side of the draw in terms of we're looking at the game and we're pretty confident that we can get a result out of the tie.

"As players we're kind of talking and personally I feel like it's good that we're away first because that means that if the game is any way close at all then we'll have a chance coming back to Belfast.

"I think the draw was pretty good to us and hopefully we're going to be able to put on a performance and get through the next round.

"There's something to play for in terms of the Charity Shield which is a bit of a bonus in pre-season.

"It's not just a friendly, there's something after the game that you can get your hands on, another bit of silverware.

"Whether it be the Charity Shield or not, it'll be a competitive game, which is good for the lads, it's a bit of a bonus.”

Are the celebrations still continuing in Dungannon after the penalty shoot-out success against Cliftonville on that sunny day back in May?

Maguire answered with a smile: “I think the whole town is buzzing and the whole town is making the most out of what the club has achieved. So you can't really blame anyone for wanting to get their hands on it.

"I think that there were question marks about our togetherness and our camaraderie right throughout the season and we just answered those questions flying colours.

“The final couldn't have really gone any better in terms of trying to get that across. So yeah, just to win the Irish Cup in the way we did – it does sum up Dungannon.

"We didn't get a whole lot of time off there in the grand scheme of things but we're in, we've got a job to do, we're trying to get fit for the upcoming games obviously.

"The first game can't come quick enough and we're just all buzzing for it."